communication strategy at swiss universities:embracing new media
TRANSCRIPT
Communication Strategy at Swiss Universities:Embracing New Media
Initiative of the State Secretariat for Education and Research SER Annex of the Consulate General.
Swiss Knowledge Network with outposts in Boston, San Francisco, Shanghai and SingaporeFollow us! swissnexSF
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Florencia PradaMegan Williams
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Goals
To be known internationally for excellence
To get positive attention in the international and N. American press
To attract best professors and doctoral candidates/researchers
To have research published in high profile journals
To attain high rankings
Social media must be part of an overall strategy.
A means to an end.
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A CHANGE IN THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE
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Shift in communications from print to online
Newspaper industry in decline Content increasingly consumed online
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Define social media
Web 2.0User generated content
Interactive
DemocraticTwo-way conversation
Engaging
Viral
Social bookmarkingBlogging
Micro blogging
Wiki
Live streaming
Sharing
Networking
SEO/SEM
AggregatorsRSS
Tag CloudParticipation
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Define social media
Web 2.0User generated content
Interactive
DemocraticTwo-way conversation
Engaging
Viral
Social bookmarkingBlogging
Micro blogging
Wiki
Live streaming
Sharing
Networking
SEO/SEM
AggregatorsRSS
Tag CloudParticipation
Social media are media designed to be disseminated through social interaction using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques
Social media are media designed to be disseminated through social interaction using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques
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Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn – YouTube
22M users
Real-time
Spreads news easily & fast
140 characters
400+M users worldwide
Shares content, video, photos
Personalizes experience
Engages a professional audience (65+M users)
Tracks current and past staff/students
Engages alumni
Third most visited website after FB & Google
Shares video content easily
Leverages video content on other outlets
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54% of all Internet users in the US are on Facebook
(compete.com study, Dec., 2009)
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How US universities leverage new media
Use Twitter to gather information and share it (Minnesota)
Use YouTube to share student/faculty work (Stanford)
Use Twitter to communicate during emergency (Minnesota)
Use blogs to share student/university experience to attract new students/faculty (Texas)
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Why is it important to leverage web 2.0?
Find out what is important and relevant to your audience
Follow relevant journalists & publications
Participate in conversation happening online (may be talking about you already)
Engage audience in more meaningful ways
Efficient, transparent, and cheap
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Twitter and your institution
Find out what’s happening now
Disseminate real-time news
Claim your account name before somebody else does
Create an intelligent feed of information by following the right people
Develop relationships with your followers
Give it a voice, make it personal
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Facebook: the possibilities
Claim your facebook url
Distribute content on the most visited site on the planet
Tap into peoples’ networks and leverage the viral effect
Engage your audience, make them participate
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Facebook: the possibilities
Claim your facebook url
Distribute content on the most visited site on the planet
Tap into peoples’ networks and leverage the viral effect
Engage your audience, make them participate
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YouTube: use content you already have, gain audience
Upload your videos to the most visited video site (1B views/day)
Share courses/events to promote your faculty/students/school
Excellent way to augment press releases & present new ideas
Easy to swap/share videos for “viral” effect
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LinkedIn: the professional connection
Biggest professional networking site in the world
Find and engage your alumni
Promote your events/monitor your brand/spread the word
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Status update: universities & social media
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Status update: Swiss universities & social media
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Comparison of social media presence
Select U.S., UK, German and French Universities (10)Swiss Universities (12)
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Challenges for Swiss universities
Small country, world-class universities, but less known by North Americans than big US universities
Global audience—including journalists—overwhelmed with news and increasingly online
Need to reach audiences where—and how—they expect for maximum exposure and promotion
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Solutions
Social Media
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, iTunesU, etc.
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Solutions
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Solutions
Communicate in English when possible to reach English-speaking journalists and larger audiences
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Solutions
Present yourself in a way that is familiar to your targeted audience
The viruses within—and what keeps them there:Biologists wake dormant viruses and uncover mechanism for survival (Jan. 13, 2010, EPFL)
NOT
KAP1 protein inhibits endogenous retroviral genetic material
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Solutions
Consider “satellite” offices or representatives and advocates in the areas you want to reach
Targeted press outreach in North America or other important audiences
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How swissnex San Francisco can help right now
Help connect as many dots as possible by immediately, and at no cost:
Assist you in setting up social media accounts and reclaim lost accounts
Establish contacts in your media office who can provide swissnex with steady source of news
Promote your institution via our website, Twitter and Facebook pages and in–person synergies from hosting faculty and staff
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How swissnex can help going forward
swissnex’s communications team can offer intensive training and an array of services:
Manage your social media accounts or train your staff in best practices (in person or remotely)
Assist in adapting and re-writing press materials for an English-speaking audience, with journalists in mind
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Targeted media outreach on your behalf to important and relevant journalists, bloggers, publications
How swissnex can help going forward
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How swissnex can help going forward
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Targeted media outreach on your behalf to important and relevant journalists, bloggers, publications
How swissnex can help going forward
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Targeted media outreach on your behalf to important and relevant journalists, bloggers, publications
How swissnex can help going forward
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How swissnex can help going forward
Advise you on what’s next in new/social media and which ones are important (Foursquare)
Recommend conferences and new, emerging publications to watch (Futurity, Climatewire)
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How swissnex can help going forward
Advise you on what’s next in new/social media and which ones are important (Foursquare)
Recommend conferences and new, emerging publications to watch (Futurity, Climatewire)
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How swissnex can help going forward
• Advise you on what’s next in new/social media and which ones are important (Foursquare)
• Recommend conferences and new, emerging publications to watch (Futurity, Climatewire)
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How swissnex can help going forward
Recommend conferences and new, emerging publications to watch (Futurity, Climatewire)
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More ways swissnex can help
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Event + exhibit planned
Press preview
Event at swissnex
Media team documents event (FLIP)
Push products through social media
Build social media/web buzz
Targeted media outreach
Stories + videos published
• Examples of swissnex press success from in-person appearances and visits:
• Give Me More (EPFL+ECAL Lab exhibit)
How swissnex San Francisco can help
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How swissnex San Francisco can help
• Press success:
• Meeting the Energy Challenge: Konstantinos Boulouchos (ETH Zurich) & Stephen Schneider (Stanford University)
Stories, videos, podcast published
Event + exhibit planned
Media team documents event (FLIP)
Push products through social media
Build social media/web buzz
Promotion + targeted invites
Event at swissnex
FORA.tv films
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How swissnex San Francisco can help
• Press success:
• Swiss science illustrator Cornelia Hesse-Honegger
Media team documents event (FLIP)
Stories + videos published
Push products through social media
Use social media to promote Swiss excellence in sci, ed, art, & innovation
Journalists trust us as news source; tweets and announcements picked up by press
Event at swissnex
FORA.tv films
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Next Steps
• Help us identify questions & potential barriers to embracing social media
• We will do a study/survey to answer your questions
• Join the LinkedIn Group to submit and discuss questions: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=3075378
• View this presentation on SlideShare
• Become of fan of swissnex San Francisco on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow us on Twitter!
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To consider
• swissnex proposes a study tour to the Bay Area (October, 2010):
• Gain first-hand experience in social media
• Explore how other universities and businesses are using social media to promote their institutions
• Meet leaders in industry (Silicon Valley) and learn what’s next in communication and how you can leverage this technology
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A look ahead
“A year ago, Twitter wasn't on the radar screen for most Indians, let alone their PC screens. In the last few months, though, that's changed, and more than 2.3 million people on the Subcontinent tweet and Twitter away their time. That's nothing compared with the United States, where some 22 million use the microblogging site…
Twitter page views in India jumped to 45 million in March, up from 26 million in December, a 73 percent increase.”
• —San Francisco Chronicle (May, 2010)